A Solano County substitute teacher was arrested Friday on four charges of misdemeanor child abuse.

Fairfield police said a parent complained that Joe Yow, 51, had grabbed the throat of her 7-year-old daughter in an attempt to discipline members of a second-grade class.

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Police said three other children also complained of being grabbed and assaulted at the David Weir Elementary school by Yow on Thursday.

Elizabeth Keller Zimmerman said her daughter, Sophia, was grabbed in a neck choke hold when kids apparently became rowdy while walking to a computer lab.

“I almost did not want to believe it at first,” she said.

Sgt. Randall Boggs said after Fairfield police interviewed the children and other witnesses Friday, they concluded a minor assault has occurred. Because of the age of the victims, the arresting charges were for child abuse.

Boggs said Yow has also been suspended from the Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District pending an internal investigation.

Yow is now free on bail.

At his home in Suisun City Saturday, he told KCRA 3 news he did not want to comment on the charges.

Zimmerman said her daughter is recovering from the experience, but that her friends and family are still angry.

“They are upset, extremely upset about how he could even do this,” she said. “And the children are 6 and 7 years old that he did this to. It’s appalling.”